Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-08-04
THE, BuckwHEAT CROP.
Precautions and Care Necessary to Obtain
Ing a Satisfactory Yield,

The bHekwheat crop can not be stored
as other crops can on account OF the
carbonaceous nature of the grain, its
dark color. its shape and its moisture.
All these combined cause it to oxidize
rapidly and to generate considerable
heat All dark-colored porous sub
stances containing carbon have this
property of absorbing oxygen, in which
process heat is produced. Charcoal,
for instance, will absorb so much oxy-
gen as to ignite; oily rags, or waste
and shavings will, as is well known,
take fire and burn by this spontaneous
combustion caused by the absorption
Of oxygen. 1t is worse still when buck
wheat is left in the chaff and not
thrashed, even for twenty-four hours,
as the mass will heat so much in this
time as to spoil the grain for flour or
termination. For this reason 1t Is
necessary to thrash the buckwheat
from the field, and this necessity con-
trolls the manner of harvesting. Buck
wheat can be cut with a self-raking
reaper, and the gavels are set up on
end without binding, so that the straw
will dry out more thoroughly. The
whole plant is succulent and difficult
to dry, and the gavels can not be bound
for this reason. The grain hangs to
the stems by very weak pedicels, which
snap off with great case when they are
dry; hence harvesting should be done
when the crop is somewhat damp. lest
the grain be wasted to an Improbable
extent. The early morning, after a
cloudy night when there is a dew, is
the best time to cut this grain. This
plant has the habit of continuous
towering until stopped by frost.
There are, therefore, ripe grain,
green and immature grain, and
blossoms on it at the same
time. The grains fill the best in the
cool weather, and so long as the frosts
are delayed the crop should stand to
fill out the grain. This peculiarly of
the crop makes it desirable to post
pone cutting until the day before the
frost, if one could only know when
this might be, for the longer it stands
the greater the yield. A crop which
stood and grew until November in one
year when there was no frost until
then, yielded seventy-five bushels per
acre; but when frosts occur in Sep
TENDER or soon after. the yield will
rarely amount to over twenty-five or
thirty bushels to the acre. The gavels,
loosely punched together and not
bound, are stood up on end until the
straw is dry. The large quantity of
sap in the stems flows to the grain,
and much of the unripe grain fills and
fho cfanA in ha fold
1t is necessary to watch the crop. as if
the weather is wet or cloudy it will
dry very slowly, and the thrashing
must be done carefully, as the soft,
starchy grains are easily broken, and
much waste will occur if the thrash
ingmachine is used, unless there is
careful management. The cOncaVe
and upper teeth of the machine should
be removed to avoid beating the grain
too much and so breaking it. A piece
of smooth plank fitted in place of the
thrashing. AS the grain is thrashed
it should be cleaned up and
separated from the chaff the same
day. The grain can not be left in
a bin or even in bags safely, but should
be spread on dry floor and turned
daily. AS the most profitable use for
this grain is to make it into flour, and
the earliest flour in the market brings
the highest price, it is best to take it
to the mill and sell it or have it ground
as soon as it is thrashed, and before it
has had time to take a sweat, which it
does soon after thrashing, in cOnse-
quence of fermentation which occurs
within it This is critical time with
this grain and should be looked for
carefully. Whenever the fermentation
occurs the grain should be thinly
spread on a dry floor, on dry. windy
day, and thoroughly aired. On &C
count of its starchy character, too, the
grain should be ground only on such a
day as this, for the flour will absorb
moisture and heat injuriOusly unless
this is prevented. Well-managed buck !
wheat is a profitable crop. There is |
not much labor in growing or harvest
ing it, and it occupies the ground less |
than three months. There is no better |
crop than this to use for renOvating |
poor grass land, for the sod can be |
turned under after the grass has been |
moved or pastured off in July, and |
buckwheat sown to be plowed under, !
or the grass and clover-seed may be !
sown with the buckwheat- If the crop |
is plowed Under the land may be sown !.
with wheat or with grass and may be |
sown with wheat or with grass and |
clover, with some turnips mixed, and !
good catch of grass be secured. The
best of the turnips may be pulled and |
the small ones be left to shelter the !